QRG Capital Management Inc. Acquires 93,310 Shares of Pearson, PLC $PSO

Key Points

• QRG Capital Management Inc. significantly increased its holdings in Pearson, PLC by 145.9%, acquiring an additional 93,310 shares, bringing its total to 157,281 shares worth approximately $2.35 million.
• Recent analyst ratings for Pearson indicate mixed sentiment, with one analyst rating it as a Strong Buy and others issuing Hold and Buy ratings, leading to an average target price of $18.00.
• Pearson recently announced a semi-annual dividend of $0.0892 per share, despite a low dividend payout ratio of 22.34%, illustrating the company's ongoing commitment to returning value to shareholders.

QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Pearson, PLC (NYSE:PSO - Free Report) by 145.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 157,281 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 93,310 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Pearson were worth $2,348,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Pearson by 1,747.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 163,894 shares of the company's stock worth $2,624,000 after acquiring an additional 155,025 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd bought a new position in Pearson in the first quarter worth approximately $1,396,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Pearson in the first quarter worth approximately $851,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Pearson by 146.3% in the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 151,413 shares of the company's stock worth $2,424,000 after acquiring an additional 89,949 shares during the period. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers bought a new position in Pearson in the first quarter worth approximately $401,000. 2.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PSO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "hold" rating on shares of Pearson in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Pearson in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Pearson from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Pearson from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, September 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Pearson presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $18.00.

Pearson Stock Performance

PSO opened at $14.06 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.95, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a fifty day moving average of $14.36 and a 200 day moving average of $14.99. Pearson, PLC has a fifty-two week low of $13.27 and a fifty-two week high of $17.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 2.24 and a current ratio of 2.31.

Pearson Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th were paid a dividend of $0.0892 per share. This represents a yield of 210.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. Pearson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.34%.

About Pearson

Pearson plc offers educational courseware, assessments, and services in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, the Asia Pacific, other European countries, and internationally. The company operates through five segments: Assessment & Qualifications, Virtual Learning, English Language Learning, Workforce Skills, and Higher Education.

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